The UFC octagon’s return to the promotion’s Apex Facility in Vegas gave the fandom an interesting 11-bout card, featuring a five-rounder in the main event between #13 and #14 ranked middleweights Anthony Hernandez & Michel Pereira. And once UFC Vegas 99 ended, Dana White & Co. did what needed to be done, giving away an extra $50k to three fighters as bonuses.
Main eventer, Anthony Hernandez aka ‘Fluffy’ earned a spectacular stoppage win over Brazilian veteran Michel Pereira in the final frame, TKOing the flamboyant striker 2.22 minutes into R5.
This performance earned the 31-year-old the performance of the night paycheck worth $50k! Hernandez was the only individual to earn a performance bonus for his finish in the main event.
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While the co-main event of the evening between sensational bantamweight Rob Font and Kyler Phillips also gave the fandom a kick, the featherweight bout between Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda was the star attraction. Despite calling it quits, Pineda showed his heart and took the fight to the 40-year-old Darren Elkins, giving the community another fight to watch on repeat.
This absolute war earned the veterans $100k in total with both fighters pocketing $50k for their efforts. Ultimately, Elkins won the bout via majority decision – 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
Elkins vs Pineda – A dog fight to remember
The three-round war between veterans Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda has drawn a lot of attention from the MMA fraternity. In fact, after their scarp, the two have been receiving a serious amount of praise for pouring their hearts out in the octagon.
Entering the bout with a submission win over TJ Brown last year, Elkins kicked off the evening’s main card. As for his opponent, Pineda, he came into the bout with a loss against Nathaniel Wood.
The bout started with Elkins being the aggressor, landing a massive overhand on Pineda in the opening round. However, ‘The Pit’ remained unfazed and returned a spinning back kick which momentarily stunned the 40-year-old, followed by some massive shots in the closing minutes of the round.
Both fighters looked like they fought a bear, covered in blood. Round 2 went about with Elkins giving his opponent a barrage of ground shots. In the closing round, a perfectly timed takedown from ‘The Damage’ became the pivotal point of the bout. Holding Pinedo against the cage, Elkins delivered some brutal shots following which he got the fight to the ground.
After three rounds of absolute carnage, the judges awarded the win to Elkins following which Pineda announced his retirement.
